DAVOS: The World Economic Forum’s Global Collaboration Village is using augmented reality and virtual reality technologies to tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues, the president of the initiative told Arab News.
Its Next-Gen platform, developed in partnership with Accenture and powered by Microsoft Mesh, debuted at the WEF annual meeting in Davos this week, and Chieh Huang said that it aimed to extend the collaborative impact of Davos beyond the annual meeting by creating a virtual space that fostered engagement year-round.
He said: “So we often get the question, well, what is the Global Collaboration Village? We’re here in Davos — isn’t this the global collaboration village? And in some sense, yes, it is.”
He continued: “But as Davos and our annual meeting gets more crowded, we want to see if there are ways for us to extend impact throughout the world, 365 days a year.”
This year’s debut of Next-Gen AR at Davos has focused on collecting feedback to refine the platform.
“This is a platform in which we want to stoke more conversation between public entities and private entities,” Huang said. “As you build a platform and any technology product, you want to hear the feedback of, well, what worked well, what didn’t work well. And what better way to do that than here (at the annual meeting), where all of our constituents and users are here.”
Huang emphasized the importance of user input in shaping the experience.
“The graphics are higher fidelity, they’re photorealistic,” he said. “We’re mixing virtual reality in some cases where we want to transport you to a location, but other times we just want to sit around a table, visualize a 3D object, and say, ‘Hey, have you noticed this thing?’ or, ‘Have you noticed that thing?’ Using augmented reality when it’s apropos.”
Feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive. “The most-used term this week has been: Wow,” Huang said. “When you see the state-of-the-art hardware and software these days, it is a wow moment.”
The tech offers an alternative to traditional 2D communication platforms such as Zoom or PowerPoint by immersing users in a 3D environment.
“If you talk to anyone that’s ever been in an immersive environment, it changes your perception,” Huang explained. “Through that immersiveness, there is a higher level of engagement.”
The platform also aims for inclusivity and device-neutrality. “Next-Gen is available not only with Meta devices but Apple’s Pro as well, and in the future, we want to add more devices onto that as well,” Huang said.
One example of the platform’s potential lies in its use by Saudi Arabia at this year’s WEF to showcase the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 initiative.
“From the outside, I don’t live in Saudi Arabia, I don’t live in the region. It might seem very foreign to say, ‘Hey, there’s this Vision 2030, where they’re trying to transform an entire country and society,’” Huang said.
“You can send around leaflets, you can watch that on YouTube, or maybe get a PowerPoint, but will that actually show and demonstrate what’s really going on? You could say nothing can replace going there. But is there an in-between? That’s where the Global Collaboration Village can shine,” he said.
The GCV mission is clear; to foster collaboration, spark innovation and enable participants to visualize solutions in transformative ways.
Huang concluded: “We want this platform to be a space where global solutions can be visualized, tested and realized — ultimately shaping a better future for all.”
